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Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

a technology of image processing and image, applied in the field of image processing techniques, can solve the problems of reducing the data capacity, deteriorating an image, and large and achieve the effect of reducing the apparent difference, improving visual recognizability, and reducing the capacity of a necessary memory

Active Publication Date: 2016-09-06
CANON KK
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This approach enables effective image compression that maintains high visual quality and reduces the apparent difference between the original and decompressed images, particularly for reversed characters, by accurately representing character colors and minimizing color permeation effects.

Problems solved by technology

This means that the capacity of a necessary memory will become very large and the size of the data is too large to transmit as an attachment to an email, and therefore, it is requested to reduce the data capacity as much as possible.
JPEG is very effective for compression of a natural image such as a photo, but it is known that a deterioration in an image, called mosquito noise, occurs in the case where a character portion is compressed by JPEG.
As to this point, there has been such a problem that the color of the background may permeate into the character due to the variations caused by scanner reading or the action of compression, and the color of the character area in the input image in which such permeation has occurred is reproduced (extracted) as it is at the time of color extraction.

Method used

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  • Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium
  • Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium
  • Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
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first embodiment

[0035]FIG. 1 is a function block diagram showing an internal configuration of an image processing apparatus as an image compression apparatus for compressing a multivalued image read by a scanner or the like, according to the present embodiment. An image compression apparatus 100 includes a binarization unit 101, a character area specifying unit 102, a unit character specifying unit 103, a representative color setting unit 104, a character area filling unit 105, a first compression unit 106, and a second compression unit 107.

[0036]The binarization unit 101 binarizes a color multivalued image (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “multivalued image”) as an input image. The generated binary image is sent to the character area specifying unit 102 and the unit character specifying unit 103.

[0037]The character area specifying unit 102 specifies a character area by performing contour tracking processing or the like of pixels having a predetermined value (e.g., black pixels) on the binary ...

second embodiment

[0142]Next, an aspect is explained as a second embodiment, in which the correction coefficient α is set by using information on a rectangle that circumscribes a unit character in the adjustment processing of the candidate representative color. Explanation of the contents in common to those of the first embodiment is omitted and in the following, the points different from the first embodiment are explained mainly.

[0143]FIG. 18 is a function block diagram showing an internal configuration of the image processing apparatus as an image compression apparatus that compresses a multivalued image read by a scanner or the like according to the present embodiment. The image compression apparatus 100 includes the binarization unit 101, the character area specifying unit 102, the unit character specifying unit 103, a by-feature character area specifying unit 1801, the representative color setting unit 104, the character area filling unit 105, the first compression unit 106, and the second compr...

third embodiment

[0162]Next, an aspect is explained as a third embodiment, in which the correction of a candidate representative color is controlled by using information on the font of a unit character. Explanation of the contents in common to those of the first and second embodiments is omitted and in the following, the points different from the first embodiment are explained mainly.

[0163]FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a flow of the candidate representative color correction processing according to the present embodiment.

[0164]At step 2101, the representative color setting unit 104 acquires character area information on the processing-target character area. As described previously, the character area information that is acquired here includes the above-described by-feature character area information and one of the features of a unit character, information about the font of the unit character is included.

[0165]At step 2102, the representative color setting unit 104 determines whether the font of the ...

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Abstract

Image compression that keeps a balance between improvement in visual recognizability by highlighting a character color of a reversed character and a reduction in an apparent difference between an input image and a restored image is implemented. An image processing apparatus including a specifying unit configured to specify a character within an image, a setting unit configured to set a representative color to the specified character by using colors of pixels constituting the specified character, a determination unit configured to determine whether the specified character is a reversed character, and a correction unit configured to correct the set representative color in the case where the specified character is determined to be a reversed character.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to an image processing technique to compress and decompress a multivalued image.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]In recent years, with the spread of scanners, electronization of documents is in progress. In the case where electronized document data is saved in a full-color bitmap format, for example, for an A4-size document, the data size will be about 24 Mbytes with a read resolution of 300 dpi. This means that the capacity of a necessary memory will become very large and the size of the data is too large to transmit as an attachment to an email, and therefore, it is requested to reduce the data capacity as much as possible.[0005]Consequently, in order to reduce the data capacity, usually, a read image (full-color image) is compressed and as a compression method, JPEG is known. JPEG is very effective for compression of a natural image such as a photo, but it is known that a det...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H04N1/04H04N1/403H04N1/40
CPCH04N1/40H04N1/04H04N1/403
Inventor YAMAZAKI, TAEKOTANAKA, TETSUOMI
Owner CANON KK